Welcome to Everything Tennessee!

It was a hard decision to leave home. I was deciding to leave everyone and everything I have ever loved in my beautiful Madrid. I did it. I decided that studying and swimming in the US was going to make me happier than staying home. I could have never done this without the support of my family, so we did it.

I had never been to the United States. I did not know anything about this country apart from what I heard from a couple of friends who swam and studied here and the American movies. All I knew were stories but I did not have a clue of the culture I was getting into.

It was in March 2016 that I decided King University in Bristol, TN was the right school for me. In August I flew to New York city with my mum and my sisters and we stayed there for a couple of days. New York is just as amazing as it can get. After those days, we flew to Bristol. Bristol is so different to everywhere I had ever been in my life.

At first, everything was a shock for me. My culture has a lot of differences, plus I speak a different language at home. I have to admit that I knew English when I came here but the accent here was something I had never heard before. Schedules were different, swimming looked like a whole different sport, the food, the people, the way people socialize with each other, public transport…

First snow day (January 2017)

South Holston Lake 2017

Everything I had ever known was different. I guess I could say it was scary at first. I got to know my team, I got to know my neighbours at my dorm, I got to know more incoming freshman who were internationals and Americans too; and since that moment on I knew this was going to be my second home. King is now my home away from home, my safe place. I am not only getting an academic education, I have learnt so many things about myself here. I have learnt way more than chemistry and biology, I have learnt and I am still learning about life. Everyday I discover something I did not know. This place has shown me how the world can have infinite perspectives and points of view. I learnt how to be independent, how to trust myself and how to not trust everyone else. I know now that we are powerful enough to make our own decisions and that we need to deal with all the consequences of those decisions. I learnt how to manage my time better. I learnt what missing someone actually felt like and how we are the choices that we make and how we deal with them. It was not always easy but I can proudly say it was worth it. I learnt things not only about myself, but also about others. I have a new family at King. I met so many people who are now a priority in my life. Most of the friends I made in Bristol are the people I want to share my life with. They have made me better in every single way.

Study Tennessee is an international student recruiting consortium for Tennessee higher education institutions and organizations.We are operated by the Tennessee Association of International Educators, TAIE, a non-profit organization forTennessee international student advisers, recruiters, educators, and those who advocate for international education and cultural exchange.